


Good Friends

by RileyRooin



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, teen rhett and link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 15:12:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9188075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileyRooin/pseuds/RileyRooin
Summary: Senior year of high school inevitably leads to thoughts of the future. There's only one person who Rhett can share these thoughts with: his good friend Link.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Rhink Holiday Ficathon 2k16. Prompt used: "Aren't you cold?"

Rhett was thinking about the future. That, in and of itself, wasn't unusual. Rhett was always thinking about the future. But, it  _ was _ unusual for him to pull Link out of bed in the middle of the night for a walk while doing so. 

Link didn’t mind. He strolled next to his taller friend, not talking, knowing that when Rhett was ready to speak, he would. Instead, Link busied himself with watching his breath come out in little puffs of fog. It was colder than usual in North Carolina, even for early January. The chill in the air hinted that snow might fall soon. Link shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and shivered a bit. Had he realized that Rhett had intended to go on such a long trek, he would have definitely worn more layers.

“Do you realize that this time next year, we’ll have just finished our first semester of college?” Rhett finally spoke, startling Link.

“Yep.”

“And we're only a few years away from graduating from college, where we'll probably meet our wives, then go on to have kids and be dads, and we’ll have to get jobs, and — ”

“We gotta graduate from high school first, brother.” Link smirked up at him.

Rhett shoved his shoulder with his own. “Shut up. I'm serious. We're standing on the edge of some really freakin’ big changes.”

Link nodded. “That's generally how it works.”

Rhett abruptly stopped walking. It took Link a moment to realize this and he had to double back so he was standing facing his best friend.

“What if we made a mistake?”

Link furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Us,” Rhett said, not meeting his eyes. 

Link felt a rush of panic. Us? Had Rhett somehow discovered the one truth no one could ever know about him? He thought he had become an expert on denying it, on not giving it life, on never letting himself dwell on the fact that he had more than just brotherly affection for Rhett.

He found his voice. “You're gonna have to elaborate on that one.”

“Us, giving up our dream to go to film school together. What if we made a mistake?”

Once again assured that Rhett was clueless about his feelings, Link forged ahead. “Not a mistake. We’re still gonna make movies or something together. We will.”

“And I'm not…” He let his words trail off. He kicked at the frozen, hardened ground beneath their feet. “I'm not holding you back? You coulda gone without me.”

“To film school? Wasn't an option.” Link shook his head. He placed a hand on Rhett’s arm. “And you ain't holding me back. We're in this together, remember? Blood brothers.”

Rhett finally looked at him, smiling for the first time since he’d pulled Link from his slumber. “Thanks, man. I think I just needed to get out of my head for a bit. Appreciate you listening to me.”

“You seemed like you needed it,” Link said with a shrug, embarrassed by the intensity of Rhett’s eyes under the moonlight. 

“I did.”

“Besides, I'm a good friend like that.” Link had intended these words to be sarcastic, with a hint of teasing. The soft sincerity in his own voice surprised him.

“Yeah. You are,” Rhett said quietly.

Link blinked up at him, willing himself to concentrate on anything but the way Rhett was looking at him. The weather had finally made good on its promise and big, fluffy snowflakes fell on them. Several of these landed on Rhett’s impossibly long eyelashes. Link watched the glittering flakes, mesmerized by them. Or maybe it was those captivating eyes beneath the snowflakes that held him in rapt attention. With a start, he realized just how close they were standing and that his hand was still on Rhett’s bicep. Link pulled away, taking a big step backwards. “Hey, aren't you cold? You're just wearing that thin hoodie.”

“What?” Rhett looked down, seeming to also just notice his apparel choice. He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I am. C'mon, let's head back.”

While the walk away from Link's house had been marked by silence, the walk back was filled with chatter. Link didn’t dare to get caught up in his own head, so he babbled from one topic to the next: going back to school in a few days, which couples they thought had broken up over Christmas break, their grades. As they made the final approach to Link’s house, their conversation slowed. They spoke in whispers so as not to wake Link’s mom.

“So.” Rhett hugged himself, his body shivering.

Link shrugged out of his coat. “Here. Borrow this and bring it back tomorrow.”

“Won't fit. I'm a tall man.”

“What you are is a tall moron who forgot to wear a coat,” Link said. “Put it on.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Rhett pulled the coat on, looking much warmer instantly.

They stared at each other for a tense moment before Link said. “Well, see ya.”

“Yeah. Later.” Rhett turned and started walking away. He’d only taken three steps when Link heard him say, “To hell with this.” He whipped around so he was facing Link again. “Link?”

“What?”

Rhett closed the distance between them again and, without warning, planted a brief kiss on Link’s lips. It was awkward, sloppy, and wet. And yet, the imperfections somehow made it that much more perfect in Link’s mind.

Link’s heart was slamming in his chest as they pulled apart. Breathing seemed impossible. He looked to Rhett for signs of a joke and found nothing but a soft smile. “What was  _ that _ ?”

“You seemed like you needed it,” Rhett said, echoing Link's earlier words. “I can be a good friend, too, you know. See you tomorrow.” With a wink in Link’s direction, he began to make his way back toward his own home.

Link watched Rhett’s retreating figure until it disappeared into the darkness. When he went back inside, he leaned against the door, trying to calm his breathing. Once it was under control, he moved toward his bedroom, knowing there was no chance he was going to get any sleep that night. As he stumbled into bed, he saw the appeal in getting lost in thoughts about the future. Tomorrow was the future. And tomorrow Rhett would return with his coat. That’s what a good friend would do, right? Link brought his fingers to his lips, which still tingled where Rhett’s had touched them. Yes, Rhett was  _ such _ a good friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Come visit me at Tumblr if you're so inclined: [RileyRooin](http://rileyrooin.tumblr.com)


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